The Warriors dropped a hard fought game to Sunapee by a score of 4-1 while battling frigid conditions on Apr. 23.

In the top of the first, senior Patrick Martin went to work striking out Sunapee’s first batter before giving up a double to the number two hitter. Martin would bear down following Sunapee’s first hit, striking out the next two batters to end the inning. The Warriors were held hitless during their first inning at-bats, stranding their lone base runner, sophomore Nolan Steevens, who drew a walk.

In the second inning, Martin continued to cruise, getting the first batter to ground out then striking out the next two. The Warriors continued to struggle offensively and failed to score during their half of the second inning. Junior Connor Melrose grounded out to the pitcher, then senior Kyle Pratt struck out. Sophomore Christian Seeley reached first via a single, the Warriors first hit of the game. Seeley stole second successfully, but was left stranded.

The Sunapee lineup got a second look at Martin as the top of the order came up. Martin surrendered a single to the first batter in the third, but quickly rebounded, striking out the next two. Martin allowed another single before striking out another for the third out.

The Warriors would get two base runners in the bottom of the frame. Steevens drew his second walk of the game and Sean McClure singled. With a first and third situation, the Warriors were in business — until McClure was picked off at first to end the inning.

The Warriors would once again strand two base runners in the fifth, this time after stringing together two base hits. Senior Brandon Hussey ripped a double while sophomore Peter Bickerton hit a single.

The sixth inning is where the Warriors found themselves in trouble. The third time through the order proved to be the charm for Sunapee, as they began to get to Martin. Two base knocks coupled with an error and stolen bases allowed Sunapee to take a 3-0 lead. Martin would collect two strikeouts in the frame.

The Warriors answered Sunapee’s big inning with two consecutive singles by Martin and Melrose. With runners on first and second, the Warriors could not come up with the hit they desperately needed, missing an opportunity to get some runs.

Sunapee came up for its final at bats drawing two walks followed by a double and a single; they plated another for a 4-0 lead. Martin would collect another strikeout, finishing the game with 14. With three outs to work with, the Warriors needed four runs to send the game to extra innings. Hussey would steal and cross the plate for the Warriors’ lone run after Steevens hit a single — good for his third on base appearance of the game. The Warriors’ rally would come up short, however; the 4-1 loss dropped their record to 2-3.

After the game, Martin felt that his pitching was “on par,” but admitted that he needed to keep the hits lower. He pointed to the Warriors’ lack of run production as their downfall that day. “Our hitting was our weak point. I haven’t been doing my best at the plate,” he said. “We have proven that we can play close with anyone in the league,” said Martin.

Head coach Paul Trombley was on the same page. “We need to work on our hitting for sure. We have a problem with timely hitting and leaving the bases loaded,” he said. “Pat’s pitching was great and we had some good defensive plays. It’s always a good battle with Sunapee.”

Sophomore Nolan Steevens cited similar problems with the Warriors’ performance. “We didn’t manufacture runs and left too many runners on base,” he said. “We really only had one bad inning and Pat threw a great game. This team has the potential to go far — things haven’t clicked yet.”